As Yogi Berra Said: 'It ain't ...

For those that have been following the NBA playoffs I’ll begin this week’s article by saying that there are no sure things in life or in sports for that matter. Nothing is written in stone. But then there are rules and either they exist or they don’t. Sometimes there is so called unwritten rules. But rules are rules there is no in between and there is no grey area. I’ve looked and looked but I’ve found no book or manual that has Industry Standards or Unwritten Rules. But in Sports there is a few unwritten sayings that should be a rules another great one that comes to mind is that “it’s not over till the fat lady sings”

In the case of Miami vs Boston in The Eastern Conference NBA finals, the singing is all over and the Fat Lady has left the building. After making things interesting with a last second score in game 6 to tie the series at 3-3, the Boston Celtics fell flat on their faces in game 7 at their home town TD Arena. Before the game started in Boston the hype of Boston’s miraculous comeback was hyped up more then a Tom Brady Super Bowl. But the reality was that the Celtics were really never even in the game after loosing star Jason Tatum’s full effort to an ankle sprain in the first minutes of the game. It was like a Brock Purdy moment, basketball style. Jimmy Butler came to play and gave his all as did several other Miami players such as Cedric Martin and Bam Adebayo. A Miami team effort easily doomed The Celtics who seem to live and die by the three pointers. The Boston crowd started off load as usual but by the end of the third quarter they were barely capable of a whimper. Personally, I’ve always felt that do or die game 7’s live or die by coaching. I’ll take Miami over Boston’s Coach any day. He has 7 trips to the NBA finals and that pulls a lot of weight in my book. Now it’s on to The Finals for Miami and a Cancun vacation for The Celtics. Have a nice flight, give my regards to LeBrone and The Lakers.

Speaking of The NBA finals, The Denver Nuggets now await a somewhat spent Miami squad. Denver of course has had a week off to gain some rest and healing time but it remains to be seen if the long lay off will hurt or help them. Miami is certainly maintaining the momentum in this case, but a little over 48 hours of lay off might not be the ticket. Jimmy Butler is a bit gimpy on his ankle, but the word around the NBA is that Miami star player and ex Kentucky super guard Tyler Hero will be back in the line after missing the entire playoffs so far with a broken hand. Considering The Heat will going up against MVP Nikola Jokic and a rested Denver squad I figure they can use all the help they can get. Either way, I say let the games begin (finally).

The Miami Heat aren’t the only team being toasted this week. To the utter shock of all of Canada and most of the hockey world the Florida Panthers and The Las Vegas Knights will play in The NHL finals for Lord Stanley’s Cup. NHL Hockey in Florida’s June heat and in a Desert environment that has not seen snow in years, this alone is a true testament to hockey fans that obviously live in every corner of the world. All I can say is thank the heavens they don’t play the game outside!! All the same it should turn out to be a super series. The indications now are that the NBA AND The NHL will not compete against each other for prime time viewing slots, so let’s hope and look forward to another week or ten days where a Florida team will be center stage every night of the week!

In about 13 weeks we’ll be seeing the start of The 2023-2024 football season. As of yet there’s been a flurry of free agency moves most notably The Jets, The Ravens and The Saints picking up talented receivers to their quarterbacks. For some bezaar reason there’s alot of talk about The New York Jets making it to The Super Bowl during Arron Rogers first year. I’m not a believer in this, not even close but sometimes you have to allow Jets fans a little leeway. It’s been a tough few years for them and to be honest seeing Arron Rogers at a Taylor Swift concert doesn’t make me a believer of his football ability or his taste in Music. Josh Allen on the other hand spends his summer time hunting and fishing. Who would you go with?!?

College football for now is on hold as student athletes enjoy their summer months off. The time off doesn’t mean there isn’t activity however as the transfer portal remains active and hot. There will be old faces with new teams across the country as players choose themselves over school loyalty to gain a foothold on a team with the ability to attain a national recognition. More power to them I say. Schools have been making millions off the sweat of player’s backs for decades. It’s time to let the players reap the benefits of a billion dollar industry. We all benefit from seeing the best players on the best rosters every Saturday. It’s a win-win situation! College football begins two weeks earlier then the pro’s, so for that I say Play On! (and GO HEAT!).

Kev